Posts Tagged With: train

Mary continues to be occupied with personal business. I am now not expecting to see her again until I arrive at her home in Murphys, California about the third week in April. It’s just the way things are and we just have to deal with it.

I’m now in what I’m calling my “pacing mode”. Last October I had cataract surgery at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California. My surgeon wants me back in mid-April for a six-month post-operative eye examination. Palo Alto is only about 400 miles from my current location. So, in the meantime, I’ll “pace” my forward direction travels hoping stay in 65-75 degree temperatures all the while.

Last Saturday I did something that I have not done in about 40 years. I went to downtown Los Angeles. I went to visit the area called El Pueblo de Los Angeles. This is near the site of early Los Angeles where 44 settlers of Native American, African and European heritage journeyed more than 1,000 miles across the desert from present-day northwest Mexico and established a farming community in September, 1781. I had not been to this area of Los Angeles before.

Today…Metrolink – Acton to Los Angeles, California…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

The Acton Station. On a Saturday morning there were only a few cars in the parking lot…

You buy your ticket from these machines. On the weekend only $10 round-trip for 55 miles one way and a 1 hour and 40 minute train ride. Such a deal…

The partially enclosed station blocks the cold north and westerly winds…

Looking northeasterly. The train will come from this direction…

Looking southeast…

Looking southwest. Los Angeles is 55 miles down the tracks…

A MetroLink sign…

I took the 9:16 AM train and rode on the upper level for better views of the passing scenery…

Along the way the train slows through the curves…

Approaching Los Angeles we pass the maintenance yards…

Almost there…

We arrive safely. Because of my RVing lifestyle…I’m no longer use to be around so many people…

During the trip I reflected on the occasional train wreck heard in the news. It makes me think that when someone else is driving…you are in their control. That thought has me flashing back to our terrible accident of May 27, 2012 when some one else was driving…http://wp.me/pDCku-4Eh

No matter how hard one tries…those moments are forever burned into memory.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

In other news..

It appears the weatherman is shifting to a lower gear. For the last six+ weeks the weather in the southwest has run 5-20 degrees above normal average with some calling it the warmest winter on record. Yesterday and today are about 10 degrees below normal. The forecast for the next six weeks or so is calling for 5-10 below normal. Hmmm…I guess that why it’s called an average. It sure was nice while it lasted.

Yesterday was a cloudy with showers and 49 degrees. Forecast for today is mostly cloudy with showers and 52 degrees.

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Mary continues to be occupied with personal business. I am now not expecting to see her again until I arrive at her home in Murphys, California about the third week in April. It’s just the way things are and we just have to deal with it.

I’m now in what I’m calling my “pacing mode”. Last October I had cataract surgery at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California. My surgeon wants me back in mid-April for a six-month post-operative eye examination. Palo Alto is only about 400 miles from my current location. So, in the meantime, I’ll “pace” my forward direction travels hoping stay in 65-75 degree temperatures all the while.

Yesterday I did something that I have not done in about 40 years. I went to downtown Los Angeles. I went to visit the area called El Pueblo de Los Angeles. This is near the site of early Los Angeles where 44 settlers of Native American, African and European heritage journeyed more than 1,000 miles across the desert from present-day northwest Mexico and established a farming community in September, 1781. I had not been to this area of Los Angeles before.

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Over the next several days I’ll present detailed blog entries of these locations.

I wasn’t about to drive into all that madness…so I took the MetroLink Train from Acton to Los Angeles. The 55 mile trip takes 1 hour and 40 minutes with several stops along the way. The elevation drops more than 3,000 feet…from 3,333 feet at the Acton station to 294 feet at Union Station in Los Angeles.

The Metro Link Train actually crosses the entrance to Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon RV Resort…my current location. Unfortunately the train does not stop here…the station in Acton is 10 miles east-northeast from here.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

In other news..

It appears the weatherman is shifting to a lower gear. For the last six+ weeks the weather in the southwest has run 5-20 degrees above normal average with some calling it the warmest winter on record. Yesterday and today are about 10 degrees below normal. The forecast for the next six weeks or so is calling for 5-10 below normal. Hmmm…I guess that why it’s called an average. It sure was nice while it lasted.

Yesterday was a cloudy with showers and 63 degrees. Forecast for today is mostly cloudy with showers and 52 degrees.

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

We boarded an 1882 steam train at the depot in Durango and took it three and a half hours to Silverton, once a profitable silver mining town at 9,308 elevation. The train appeals to tourists and the mountain views are spectacular in places.

We paid extra to sit in the enclosed car that features a docent with historical narrative to share. Close to the engine, the cinders and ash were heavy if you opened a window. Hot with them closed.

The train makes several stops, this one to take on water…

…and make a routine inspection before moving on.

The train follows the riverbed for much of the way. Pristine, roiling waters and marshmallow clouds all day for us.

This is what the inside of the enclosed cars looks like. Three and one-half hours is tough for a two-year old. The scenery, though beautiful, gets repetitive for much of the way. It was a welcome and speedy trip for people in the 1800’s. If you go with children, one way is probably enough. You have a choice to train up, and bus back.

These new, young friends, passed some of the time playing scissors, paper and rock, which helped pass some of the time. The docent explained that we can expect to see deer, beaver, goats, sheep, bear and cougar among the larger animals. I saw two dahl sheep quite close to the road on the way up and one on the way down. You come upon them so unexpectedly, a picture was not possible.

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The train stops at designated places for backpackers and hikers who get off or back on the train. They can be out for days, or just hours. They find room for them to ride in the gondola cars. Three older guys picked up on our way back were out for four days and hiked 40 miles. They reported being followed all the way up the mountain by wild goats that would walk right through their camp. He snarked, “And people hunt them? It’s like hunting a Buick in a parking lot.”

There are two walking bridges for hikers to cross the river that I saw. In many places fording is possible as well.

Other canyon adventures are riding a zip-line, kayaking, and river rafting. This tree is the bottom part of the zip-line apparatus.

Snow melt makes its way to the river and cascades beautifully for us down the rocks. in small and tall waterfalls.

Water tumbling over rocks is always a refreshing and beautiful scene.

As we rose in elevation, we passed through an aspen forest with some of the biggest aspen I’ve ever seen. Downed trees from beaver chews were visible on the side of the water, but no beaver dam in site.

We got off the train at Silverton and we were greeted by a young boy hawking “rocks for sale.”

People took this opportunity to have their picture taken with the train. I liked the train parked with the green path up the mountain behind it.

Silverton has one paved street, Main St. It was very class conscious in its day and the well-to-do lived on this side of town. People from the other side town were discouraged from mingling with the upper class.

The “low rent” district was more interesting.

And, of course, the jail was built on the “wrong” side of town where all the miners lived.

Besides unpaved streets, there is still boardwalks in some places.

Haven’t a clue? It was definitely closed. It is said that when mining went bust, the town was so broke they couldn’t prosper, so the town is much like it looked in the 1900’s.

And, if you’re short on money, and need a four-way stop sign, you can make do with one post, one hole, and less labor.

Blair Street was part of the notorious “other” side of town now marked for the benefit of tourists as is this phony but fun grave marker.

Lola Fent Kicked Up Her Heels, & Away She Went .

I spotted this delightful truck sitting in front of its own brewery. Had to try it. I ordered a porter, which was way overly carbonated, almost chemical tasting and way over priced. Everyone seemed to be eating good food, but, the beer was just drinkable. We ate at Romeros and got back on the train.

We asked to get off the history car for two reasons. First, we couldn’t hear well enough over the noise of the train. And, secondly, picture-taking was difficult through the small window openings. The conductor found us a seat and we had a much more enjoyable ride in the open gondola. You could see better and it was easier to take pictures. You still get puffs of ash, and grime, though. The kids get more diversion, though the five-year old above had a hard time concentrating and wanted to be done with the ride.

The Rio de Los Animus Por Dios river runs through this magnificent canyon. It means the river of lost souls. I expect there were numerous deaths for those early explorers trying to navigate the river and canyon. Even today, there have been lightening fires, mud and rock slides and periodic floods in low places and drownings.

The trip back seemed shorter. Everyone has there preference and I think if we were to do it again, we’d take the half trip. The Concession Car, by the way, has much in the way of snacks, water and refreshments. There are restrooms aboard the train, as in the 1800’s.

The kids love it when the engineer lets go with a blast of steam to lower pressure in the boiler when he needs to slow going down hill.

In some places, the train passes so close to the rocks and trees you can reach out and touch them. I chuckled when I saw a father warn the kids to keep their hands inside the rails, only to wait until they weren’t looking and he reached out and touched the rocks and grabbed a leaf. Busted!

I’ve long envied people who can create beauty with their hands. A skill I do not possess. I’m the only guy I know that cannot cut a straight line with a Skil Saw. Heck, I can’t even pick my nose good. It’s a good thing I never had to use my hands in a creative manner to earn a living.

Last Wednesday, before Mary boarded the Amtrak train in Deming, New Mexico, we found that we had a little extra time to kill before it arrived. So we dropped into the local Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. It’s quite large, very clean and interesting. Since we only had about 45 minutes before they closed, we headed off in different directions. I ended up in the Western historical section.

Here are some of the things I saw…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

This first image was in a New Mexico Centennial quilt…

But, here’s what really caught my attention since I still draw/paint like a fifth-grader. I hope you appreciate these beautiful Southwest paintings as much as I did…

Absolutely great paintings! My 45 minutes were well spent.

In other news…

I’m entering my second day of a four-day forecast of high velocity winds. According to my Accuweather.com forecast, winds gusts will exceed 50 miles per hour. Since the motorhome is broadside to the oncoming winds, I’m really rocking and rolling. It made for a difficult night’s sleep. Kind of like trying to sleep on the bottom of a rowboat in the middle of a tumultuous ocean storm. Unlike last week’s 75 mile per hour wind gusts in Columbus, New Mexico, because of my higher location, there’s no sand or dust reaching the motorhome. It’s all suppose to end by Tuesday and I’m expecting to hit the road once again on Wednesday.

It is all part of our original agreement from when we met back in 2008. That…about three times a year…she would have to go back home for various reasons. This time it’s to tend to her taxes and other miscellaneous business.

She’s grown tired of the hassle of flying…so this time she decided to take the Amtrak train. From Deming, New Mexico to Los Angeles, CA…then the Amtrak bus to Bakersfield, CA…then back on to the train to Stockton, CA…where her youngest son will meet her with her car. The entire train experience will be just under 24 hours. Then she’ll drive from Stockton up the hill about an hour to her home.

The train was scheduled to arrive at 6:11 PM. But since Amtrak doesn’t have to compete with other trains…promptness is not a key issue. The train arrived at 7:05 PM. It’s a big train and only passes west-bound through Deming once a day…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

By time others got off and she got on…it was 7:11 PM by time she departed…

Into the golden Western sunset..

And then she was gone…

It was about a 30 minute drive back to Rockhound State Park where the night lights of Deming can be seen through the windshield of our motorhome…

It’s always very noticeable when Mary first departs. It’s very quiet and there’s no laughter. I’ve mentioned many times about how much laughter we share in our relationship. it’s not all bad because absence makes the heart grow fonder….etc…..

I’m hoping to get her back within about six weeks…the end of April at the latest. In the mean while I’ll continue traveling solo until she returns.

The good news is she always returns.

In other news…

Originally I had planned to move along today. However the long-range weather forecast for the area for the next week has very strong winds slated for this coming Saturday through Tuesday…not a good time to be on the road with a high-profile motorhome. So I’ve decided…since I’m very comfortable in this very scenic location…plus I have some friends nearby…to wait out the very windy conditions. If all goes as forecasted…I’ll likely start moving on once again next Wednesday. One week from today. .

We are still parked at Rockhound State Park, about 10 miles from downtown Deming, New Mexico.

Yesterday Mary and I went for a walk around the park. She went in search of rocks and I went in search of photographs. She found some rocks, I found some photographs.

Here are some photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

First…the view from our dining room window…

Then the rest of the photos…

And a few just before sunset photos…

And finally some just after sunset photos…

This sure is a great photographic location. The sunset ranks among the very best I seen in my entire life.

In other news…

Mary is leaving me once again. She’ll board the 6:11 PM Amtrak Train this evening headed for home to take care of taxes and other business. I’ll continue on traveling alone. I hope to get her back within about six weeks.